I guess it does depend on your definition? Or expectations? 2 of my closest friends I've known for decades. My mom always had close friends throughout her life, as does my grandmother. These friends cannot be expected to replace the level of day to day of a spouse, but the click of a button(email) or the dialing of the phone, they are there. Mine, the issue is distance, but they are still my friends. The types of friends where we are quasi part of one another's families. Friends with parents and siblings.